


Gilded Cage

by Gerec



Category: X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)
Genre: Age Difference, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Claiming, Forced Marriage, Harems, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Omega Erik Lehnsherr
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-17
Updated: 2021-01-18
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:34:23
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28819326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gerec/pseuds/Gerec
Summary: Erik's life is turned upside down when he's forcefully claimed by an alpha noble, his virtue bought for a few pieces of gold. He does not expect what follows shortly after; to be taken from his home and his family forever, to live as concubine to the King.
Relationships: Erik Lehnsherr/Sebastian Shaw
Comments: 9
Kudos: 23





	Gilded Cage

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ireliss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ireliss/gifts).



> This was written for a prompt by Ireliss for Secret Mutant, though I didn't finish it on time to post. Should hopefully have more to update soon!

The carriage came for Erik mid-morning, clattering through the mud caked streets of Varre, winding its way through the tiny village behind a contingent of the King’s personal guard. It was a rare sight outside the Capital to see so much gleaming armor and polished gold, His Majesty’s colours flying high above the standard that fluttered against the early summer breeze. The pageantry attracted all - the young and the old, the poor and the destitute - until the entire village seemed to trail behind the procession as it halted outside the smithy door.

His mother guided him away from the window when the Captain dismounted and knocked, motioning for Erik to stand beside his older sister. Ruth squeezed his hand reassuringly in an attempt to sooth his nerves, though her lopsided grin did not quite reach her eyes. His father hovered protectively like a sentinel behind his two children, his frustration palpable as the door opened and the king’s man stepped inside.

“Captain,” Edie said, and though she bowed her head to him in deference the chill of disdain in her voice was clear to all. “Be welcome in our humble home. Can I offer you refreshment?”

“That will not be necessary,” he answered politely. The man was gruff but did not seem callous or condescending, calmly accepting the hostility that permeated the room. “I have a letter from the palace that I will read to you now. Then we shall be on our way.”

He did not wait for a reply, unrolling the scroll in his hand and began to read, loud enough that those gathered outside could also hear the decree.

“On this day, the fourth day before Midsummer, Erik Magnus, son of Jakob and Edie Lehnsherr of Varre shall join the Royal Household and become the King’s concubine. As a token of good will, His Majesty has generously provided a sum of fifty gold pieces—”

_“I don’t want your gold,” Jakob snapped, as Erik stumbled into his mother’s waiting arms, still in shock from all that had happened in the previous hour. “You think because we’re poor you can just pay us off? After what’s been done to my son by that…how dare you—”_

_The man Azazel – one of the guards in the alpha Lord’s company – raised a placating hand, though his other rested on his scabbard in clear and unmistakable warning. “Five gold pieces will feed your family for a year, Master Blacksmith. Be grateful for my Lord’s generosity, and the privilege of the…_ attention… _he’s shown to your precious boy.”_

“—for the family’s comfort, and for the care and dedication in raising a son worthy of the King’s favor.”

Outside the crowd cheered, though they all knew what had befallen Erik less than a week ago, and the sorry state he’d been in when he returned home from the lake. Few of the villagers felt any pity for him though, and most only bemoaned their own bad luck; that it was not _their_ omega son or daughter that had attracted the roving eye of one so rich and powerful. His humiliation and his shame mattered little after all, when a life of luxury was the end result, and more money for his family than they could earn in a lifetime.

It certainly didn’t matter what Erik wanted, for none could gainsay the word of the King.

The Captain stepped forward, offering two jingling pouches he unclasped from his belt, and set them on the mantle when neither Edie nor Jakob reached to take them from his hand. “I advise you to take the gold and use it well,” he said with a sigh, “for the King will have him whether you take it or not. There is enough here to transform this entire village for the better, while your pride and anger will gain you nothing at all.”

Edie glared at him and asked, “What is your name, Captain?”

“Howlett.”

“Captain Howlett then,” she continued, taking two steps forward until she was standing before him, and had to tilt her head up to meet his eye. “Will you ensure that my Erik is safely delivered to the palace today? Do I have your word that no further ‘incidents’ will befall him while he is in your care?”

If the Captain was offended by the implication, he did not show it, simply shrugging his shoulders as Edie stared at him with dark eyes. “None would dare touch what belongs to His Majesty,” he said, and when Edie’s frown only deepened he added with sincerity, “though of course you have my word. I will protect him with my life, and deliver him unmolested to the King.”

“Where he will be molested _by_ the King, for the rest of his life,” Jakob sneered, though Ruth shushed him quickly, and Edie shot him a warning glare. “Would you have us pretend to be happy with his ignominious fate?”

The Captain’s eyes landed on Erik with something like pity, or regret, before he shook his head and answered, “It is better to have the King’s interest than his ire, don’t you think? And he will live a life of leisure and luxury, surrounded by servants to do his bidding. It is a fate most people would envy.”

_“You have no idea how lucky you are,” the alpha said, his body bracketing Erik and holding him in place. His breath hitched when he felt a hand slip deftly beneath his tunic, palming his flesh and pinching his nipples as Erik tried desperately to move away. “Of how many who would gladly be in your place.“_

Erik shuddered, and Howlett quickly turned away, hollering to his men outside to ready for departure. When he turned back his expression was shuttered and his eyes hard, and he delivered the King’s last directive without the slightest hint of emotion.

“Say your goodbyes, and whatever else needs to be said, for it is unlikely that you will ever see him again.”

* * *

Erik rode alone in the carriage with his meager belongings, a few keepsakes from his childhood that he could not bear to leave behind. Even wearing his best outfit – the only one he had, for he would be given all new clothing at the palace – he felt awkward and wildly out of place, the finest linens they could afford mere rags compared to the velvet that lined his seat. Like a lark in a gilded cage he found no comfort in his surroundings, and little joy as his new life loomed closer with every mile they traveled.

They stopped midway to the Capital for a noon meal, and Erik was allowed to briefly stretch his legs under Howlett’s watchful eye. None of the guards approached or tried to speak to him, though he could feel them watching every time he turned away. The rapt attention of so many was both strange and unnerving, and Erik found himself oddly grateful for the Captain’s stoic presence at his side.

He ate the bread and cheese Howlett handed him, and emptied his waterskin, before he took a deep breath and sighed. “Do they all know about me? About what happened? With the King?”

The Captain stilled, looking up from the stick he’d been whittling to meet Erik’s eye. “Yes.”

Erik swallowed, and glanced away. “How did they…?” 

“From the guards that were there that day. Gossip travels fast, especially with matters that pertain to the King.”

“Do they think that I…” Erik dug his fingers into the grass and yanked until a clump came away in his hand. “That I wanted…because I didn’t—”

The frown on Howlett’s face stopped him mid-sentence, and he tried not to fidget like an unruly child under the man’s piercing gaze. 

“Doesn’t matter what happened,” he answered, “or what people say about you or the King. You are part of the royal household now, and the opinions of a few guards mean absolutely nothing. The only opinion that matters is His Majesty’s, for your wellbeing depends entirely on what _he_ thinks. Remember that.”

Then he hauled Erik onto his feet, and herded him back onto the carriage.


End file.
